Chapter 24

"Good! Since you've asked for it, then I'll grant that land to your Uchiha Clan. It seems there are several villages there, too. I'll grant your clan the tax revenue from them as well!"

In high spirits, the general couldn't be bothered to ask questions. It was only a desolate mountain range, and it made no difference to him whether he had it or not. He turned to Mingye and answered, and Mingye hurriedly thanked him, as though deeply grateful for the general's favor.

"Thank you, General!"

"How do you think that boy is?"

About ten minutes after Mingye and Shimizu left, the side door to the corridor opened again. Three people suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Fujiwara Muneyoshi walked between two ninja, entering the General's Pavilion at an unhurried pace, wearing a gentle smile the whole time.

"Heh heh heh! General, would you like to hear the truth?"

Hearing Fujiwara Muneyoshi's words, the general furrowed his brow slightly.

"Speak!"

Fujiwara Muneyoshi smiled and offered his advice.

"He should be killed!"

The general looked at Fujiwara Muneyoshi with displeasure, unable to understand why he would make such a suggestion.

"What do you mean?"

"Heh heh heh!"

Fujiwara Muneyoshi chuckled again. After sitting down on a cushion nearby, he offered no explanation.

"Stop laughing like that. If you have something to say, just say it!"

Seeing Fujiwara Muneyoshi act this way, the general wasn't angry. If anything, he sounded almost as if he were pleading.

"The young master's tribute-giving and condolence visit went flawlessly. Shimizu may have helped him prepare, but the perfection of it lies in the fact that Shimizu seemed less like he was helping and more like he had no way to help at all!"

Fujiwara Muneyoshi wasn't one to put on an act. He carefully laid out everything he had observed about Mingye, then, seeing the general lost in thought, offered his advice again.

"Being neither elated by praise nor dejected by disgrace is the mark of a steady man. But from the boy's words and actions, it's clear that the reward affected him. His show of false modesty was nothing less than a deception of Your Excellency. Kill him to prevent future trouble!"

The general shook his head slightly. He took the so-called Dragon-Trapping Pearl from the brocade box and turned it over in his hands for a while, then made up his mind and spoke.

"The Uchiha Clan is the sharpest blade in my hand. I can't wield it recklessly. With the situation so turbulent, I need every man I can get. Killing him would damage my reputation. Besides, what you're saying is nonsense. Why would a young man have so many schemes? The Uchiha Clan must have suffered losses fighting the Hagoromo Clan, so they're trying to use this to reduce the burden of their duties."

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Fujiwara Muneyoshi saw that his advice hadn't been taken and said no more. He cupped his hands and praised the general. The general waved a hand, seemingly well aware of Fujiwara Muneyoshi's character, then spoke again.

"All right. Since we've finished what needed to be done today, let's discuss the Fuma Clan."

"Your Excellency jests. I'm merely a strategist. How could I eliminate the thorn in your side? Why not assign this task to the young newcomer instead?"

Fujiwara Muneyoshi shook his head and offered the general another plan. After hearing him out, the general burst into laughter and looked at Fujiwara Muneyoshi with amusement.

"Heh heh heh! You really are an old fox! You're quite the master of killing with a borrowed blade!"

"If he can't even deal with the mere Fuma Clan, then the Uchiha Clan truly is nothing special."

Fujiwara Muneyoshi waved a hand nonchalantly and gave a faint snort.

"Fine. We'll do as you suggest."

The general nodded, then rose and left through the side door with the pearl in hand.

"I never imagined you had such a trick up your sleeve, Mingye! That little pearl was hiding such a secret!"

Inside a secret chamber, a small, stiff-bodied snake sat before Mingye and Shimizu. Mingye touched the center of the snake's eyes, and it began to speak in a human voice. It was repeating the conversation between the general and Fujiwara Muneyoshi in the General's Pavilion. After they had listened, Mingye thought of a way to earn great merit, then spoke to Shimizu.

"Uncle Shimizu, I'll leave the matter of receiving Fujiwara Muneyoshi to you. Keep him occupied here for a few days. I'll be away for a while!"

Shimizu asked, confused.

"Where are you going?"

"Heh. You'll find out when the time comes."

Mingye shook his head without giving him a clear answer. When Mingye stood to leave, Shimizu worried he might underestimate the danger and warned him.

"You'd better be careful. That old fox Fujiwara Muneyoshi isn't an easy opponent. I'm sure he's already keeping an eye on your every move!"

"Don't worry. If he can find me, then he really is impressive!"

Mingye didn't seem concerned. He shrugged, and his body suddenly turned into a cloud of mist and disappeared from Shimizu's sight.

In a gloomy, terrifying forest, the wind that occasionally swept through sounded like the howling of vengeful spirits. A young blind man in tattered, thin clothes cautiously felt his way along with a tree branch.

Bang!

Two ninja suddenly appeared in front of and behind Mingye. The one behind him immediately struck the blind man on the neck with the edge of his hand. The blind man fell unconscious.

Looking at the blind youth, the ninja who had struck him turned to the other ninja with obvious annoyance.

"We searched for ages, and this is the only damn person we found—a blind man! What rotten luck!"

"He's blind. Are we really supposed to take him anyway?"

In a village, a pockmarked man wearing the Fuma Clan's insignia on an iron plate looked at the blind youth with displeasure and complained to the two men who had brought him.

"So what if he's blind? He can't do work that requires good eyesight, like serving tea, but that doesn't mean he can't do anything else. The clan needs laborers like him. He's not a ninja, so we might as well take him. Whether he dies out in the wild or in our Fuma Clan, what's the difference?"

"That's true."

One of the ninja gave the pockmarked man an indifferent reply. The other agreed. Neither paid him any more attention. They chatted as they turned and walked away.

The pockmarked ninja turned to the blind youth. Though he was still displeased, he had no intention of taking it out on him. Picking on a blind man wouldn't give him any satisfaction, after all. He folded his arms and glared coldly at the boy.

"Shangguan Yingjie, get over here!"

"Coming!"

As soon as the pockmarked ninja called out, a child about the same age as the blind youth quickly jumped out of a nearby house. The pockmarked ninja looked at the blind youth with distaste and said to him,

"You're in charge of this kid from now on. Don't waste my time!"

"A blind man?!"

After looking the boy over, Shangguan Yingjie asked the pockmarked ninja uncertainly.

"Obviously. What a nuisance!" The pockmarked ninja waved a hand irritably and turned to leave the cluster of houses. Seeing him go, Shangguan Yingjie chuckled and turned to the blind boy, trying to reassure him.

"Don't be upset. Qi may be harsh with you, but he's really soft-hearted. You heard my name just now—it's Shangguan Yingjie. What's yours?"

The boy shook his head and replied with a smile.

"I'm not upset. I know what I'm like. In this world, going blind is like losing half the joy of life. My name is Mingye!"

"Mingye?"

"The Ming in tomorrow, and the Ye in night."

Seeing that the other boy hadn't understood his name, he explained it carefully again. Shangguan Yingjie nodded, understanding, then considered what work to assign Mingye. He had no chakra at all and was just an ordinary person, albeit a little more robust than most. Shangguan Yingjie nodded, thinking of a task Mingye could handle, then spoke.

"Oh! Mingye. What a fitting name! All right, that's enough introductions. You'll be in charge of carrying firewood from now on. You look pretty sturdy, and I'll put a rope along the path so you can follow it back and forth!"

"Thank you, Shangguan Yingjie!"

"Heh! Don't call me Shangguan Yingjie. Just call me Xiaojie!"

Mingye nodded and thanked him. Hearing Mingye call him "sir," Shangguan Yingjie blushed with embarrassment and shook his head.

Day after day, Mingye repeated the work of carrying firewood. After about a month, one night he suddenly sat up from his straw mat. He sensed his surroundings and checked that everyone was asleep, then left the hut and headed toward the nearby woods.

"Uchiha Yao greets the Third Young Master!"

A shadow flashed by. A ninja dressed in the Uchiha Clan's distinctive Gunbai uniform knelt before Mingye. Mingye smiled wryly. On the first day he had infiltrated this place, he'd sent a coded message to Shimizu by means of a summoning snake. He hadn't expected them to wait a whole month before signaling him again. Somewhat displeased, he demanded,

"You're really slow. You've left me to toil here for over a month!"

Yao knew why Mingye was annoyed, so he explained with a hint of apology.

"After receiving your message, Third Young Master, we did everything we could to investigate. It took us nearly a month to find out why so many Fuma Clan ninja have been appearing lately."

"Oh? You found out?"

Mingye raised an eyebrow at Yao's reply. Yao nodded.

"Yes. In three days, the Fuma Clan's leader, Fuma Kotaro, will turn sixty. That's why so many of their ninja have been appearing lately. They've also been rounding up beggars and people with nowhere to go in the wilderness and bringing them to the Fuma Clan as laborers!"

"Fuma Kotaro? I remember Fuma Kotaro was the first leader of the Fuma Clan, wasn't he?"

The name Fuma Kotaro sounded very familiar. Mingye remembered that the first leader of the Fuma Clan had been Fuma Kotaro, so he was somewhat puzzled.